Cracks in the Armor
by i-will-get-you-my-pretty
Summary: AU. Spencer has had a rough life and continually scoffs at the idea of love. Will a curly-haired brunette with a dazzling smile make her question everything she's forced herself to believe?
1. Chapter 1

**~Chapter 1~**

Sunlight trickled through wooden blinds and hit the sleeping form of a young woman. The shrill sound of an alarm rang out and awoke the girl from her peaceful slumber. She slid her hand out from underneath the blankets and grabbed the blaring nuisance, mumbling curses at it before throwing it across the room.

"Ash, hurry up! We have to get there early for our first day of school!" The voice of another teenage girl called out.

"I'm coming, Ky! Be down in twenty!" Ashley Davies grumbled back. She climbed out of bed and stretched. As she walked over to her closet, she wondered what kind of new life she had ahead of her. She sighed and ran one of her hands through her hair. Ashley wasn't the kind of girl who showed any fear when it came to new things. She was, after all, the daredevil of the family. This time though, she was anxious. Not because she was living in a different city, but rather because she didn't know what kind of people L.A. had to offer. Would they accept her? Would they only be friends with her only because of her father and her money? She had friends in New York City, yes, but many of them just used her. What If that happened here? What if she fell into bad habits again? These thoughts plagued her mind as she put on a pair of black skinny jeans, a white fitted Led Zeppelin t-shirt, and a new pair of red Chucks. She stared at herself in the mirror and murmured to herself, "I guess it's time to just hit the madness."

Precisely twenty minutes later, Ashley sprinted down the stairs, keys and sunglasses in hand. She grabbed an apple off the kitchen counter then ran out to her silver Porsche convertible where her twin sister was already waiting and tapping her foot impatiently. The sisters shared many of the same features. Both had brown hair, deep brown eyes, tanned skin, bodies most girls were jealous of, and, of course, dazzling smiles. The main physical differences between the two were their hair and their smiles. Ashley had curly hair and nose-crinkling smiles whereas Kyla had straight hair and dimples. Their personalities, however, were polar opposites. Ashley was the badass, yet mysterious musician and artist while Kyla was the perky, drama geek and scholar.

"About time, Ash. I was afraid I was gonna have to pull out the big guns," chortled Kyla Davies, while flexing her 'muscles'.

"Oh, shut up _lil'_ sis," Ash teased back, hopping into the driver's seat.

"Hey! You're only older by three minutes and twenty-seven seconds!"

"So? I'm still older than you. Now get your ass into the car."

"Fine, bitch," growled Kyla as she climbed into the car muttering harsh words about her sister.

"Do you wanna walk to this school?" Ashley asked her with a smirk as she pulled out of the driveway. After driving for a few minutes in silence, she turned to her sister and asked her what the name of their new school was.

"Uh…King High. Hey, look at that girl. I wonder if she's ok," Kyla said curiously as she pointed at the girl who ran in front of their car. Ashley looked up and saw a girl with blonde hair running past them. She was wearing a pair of short jean shorts and a blue tank top that showed off her midriff. She also noticed that the girl had a couple tattoos. "Wow, she has a really hot bod!" Kyla announced loudly disrupting her sister from her thoughts.

"Ky, don't forget that I'm the gay one here," Ashley joked, her eyes never leaving the blonde.

"Oh, shut up. I'm just admiring her body. Ooh! We should ask her if she needs a ride."

"Hmm. Why not, maybe she goes to King," replied Ashley thoughtfully as she rolled down her window and drove towards the blonde girl…


	2. Chapter 2

**~Chapter 2~**

The sound of a guitar being strummed lazily was heard throughout the small room. The person playing the guitar sat in her window sill singing softly with a single tear trickling down her face. She noticed a young mother holding the hand of her small child, laughing at something he had said. She wondered why her own mother wasn't like that. Her thoughts began to dwell back to the worst day of her life, the day she lost her loving father and two older brothers. They were coming to see her perform at a local club when a drunk driver ran into them and killed them immediately. Every day, despite what her friends told her, she blamed herself for their deaths. Her mother didn't even shed a tear at their funerals. A few weeks after their deaths, she married her boss with whom she had been having an affair. Her mother hated the fact the Spencer was gay, but didn't do anything to her until she got together with Ben. The girl continued to play her guitar until her mother's voice rang out from downstairs.

"Speak of the devil…" the girl scoffed.

"Spencer, stop making that shitty noise and get your spoiled ass down here! Ben wants to speak with you!" Paula Montanio shouted out. Spencer Carlin knew what Ben wanted to 'speak' with her about. She pulled her long blonde hair up into a ponytail and put on her short denim shorts, blue tank top, and worn black Chucks.

"Here we go again," she murmured as she looked at herself in the mirror. She grabbed her backpack and slung it over one shoulder before she took a deep breath and walked down the stairs. She saw her mother glaring at her and her stepfather sneering at her.

"Hey, dyke, get over here!" Ben snarled. She did as she was told and walked over to the man, bracing herself for what she knew was coming. It was a daily ritual after all. He grabbed her arm and shoved her against the wall before he raised his fists. Spencer closed her eyes and waited for the barrage of hits to be over. She felt blood dripping down her face and heard at least one of her ribs cracking. When the attack was finally over, her mother and stepfather walked out the door without uttering a word to her. As soon as they were gone, she collapsed to the ground in a heap against the wall. She wanted to cry, but she knew she couldn't. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction. She wearily pulled herself up and staggered to the kitchen to get a wet paper towel to clean the blood up off the floor and wall.

After she cleaned up the mess, Spencer grabbed her bag up off the floor and headed to the front door, careful to avoid looking at herself in the mirror. She paused on the porch and noticed a silver convertible with two girls in it drive by. She sighed and began to think about Jen, the girl who helped her get her life back together after the accident. The two ended up falling in love and started dating. They had been together for eight months until Spencer found out that Jen had been cheating on her. Needless to say, it broke her heart and she vowed never to love someone the way she had loved Jen ever again. After they broke up, Spencer started sleeping around and never even thought about the possibility of being in a relationship. She hated herself for hurting all those girls by showing no emotion at all, but this was the only way she could take her mind off things. She angrily shook her head to get rid of the painful memories and began running to school. When she reached an intersection, she recognized the car from earlier and sprinted in front of it. She continued running when she heard a car pull up next to her.

"Listen, I don't have any money or drugs and I sure as hell don't want to have sex with you, so just fuck off!" She snarled at the driver without even turning around.

* * *

"…I sure as hell don't want to have sex with you, so just fuck off!" The blonde girl shouted furiously.

"Whoa there. I just wanted to know if you needed a ride, not if you wanted to ride me," Ashley informed her calmly with a chuckle. The blonde never looked up, but managed to respond.

"Oh, sorry," the blonde girl laughed uncomfortably. "Thanks, but I just need to be alone right now. Sorry, for snapping at you. It's been a rough morning. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really have to go," she called out over her shoulder as she ran off yet again. The sisters sat in silence, both watching the mysterious girl run off.

"Wow, she's fast! I wonder if she goes to our school!"

"God, Ky, how can you be _this_ perky _this_ early in the morning? Plus, I highly doubt that she goes to our school." With that being said, the two made their way to their new school. One thinking about all the new people she was going to meet and the other just thinking about the blonde girl.


	3. Chapter 3

**~Chapter 3~**

Spencer arrived at her school and was met by the very familiar bright yellow and green sign outside the entrance which read, "King High School—Home of the Cobras". As soon as she stopped running, she buckled over in pain. She managed to stumble over to the only empty table in the quad before plopping down and breathing heavily. It was the only empty table because it _was_ her table. She painted it herself both green and yellow and that's what made it stick out. The other students knew that and respected her space not because they pitied her, but rather because she _was_ Spencer Carlin, one of the most popular people at King High.

"Goddamn ribs," she muttered darkly to herself. She then thought back to the girl in the silver convertible and sighed deeply, "I didn't mean to be a bitch to her. I was just in a bad mood." She frowned and looked around the quad for her best friend. Having no luck, she pulled out her iPod and her phone which had a new message.

"_Hey, chica!"_

"_Hey, Mads."_

"_Uh oh…did he hit you again?"_

"_Yeah…where are you?"_

"_Walking up to the quad now. I see you." _Spencer stood up and smiled at the sight of her best friend, who pulled her into a hug.

"Wow, girl. He did get you good. Spence, you have to tell someone about that bastard!" Spencer just looked up at her with a blank look. "Yeah, yeah. I know you can't. Ugh…come on, let's go get you cleaned up."

"Thanks, Mads. What would I do without you?" Spencer smiled at the Latina as the two friends made their way to the restroom with their arms linked. Had she been paying attention, she would have noticed a silver convertible pull into the parking lot.

* * *

Ashley and Kyla Davies pulled into the parking lot and were greeted by a bright yellow sign with the words "King High School—Home of the Cobras" written on it in green letters. As Ashley found a place to park, she could've sworn that she saw the blonde girl from this morning. She shook her head and told herself that she was just imagining things. She finally found a place to park ignoring the weird looks her sister was giving her. The two retrieved their bags and made their way to their new school's entrance. They walked to the office and were greeted by an overly enthusiastic secretary.

"Ah, you must be the Davies sisters! We've been expecting you!" The woman said with a huge, obnoxious smile that made Ashley wonder if this lady was related to the Joker and was going to start chanting 'you wanna know how I got these scars?' "Alright, here are your schedules and locker numbers. Welcome to King High!"

"Thanks, um, where are the nearest restrooms?" Kyla inquired quietly from behind her sister, frightened of the much too happy secretary.

"Go out through that door, turn left, second door on your right. Have a wonderful day, ladies!"

"Thanks. C'mon, Ash!" Kyla responded as she grabbed her sister's arm and dragged her out of the office.

The two entered the bathroom only to find two other girls in there as well. One of the girls was very familiar to the sisters. It was the blonde from this morning. The blonde girl had her shirt off, exposing a baby blue sports bra as well as revealing some nasty bruises. Her face was also bruised with dried blood by her nose and lip, but Ashley wasn't exactly staring at her face.

"Ash!" Kyla whispered harshly while nudging her sister. "You're drooling!" Ashley blinked a few times, made sure she wasn't actually drooling, and looked up at the two girls.

"Spence," the Latina girl began gently as she wiped away the blood. "Do you think he broke some of your ribs again?"

"I dunno, Mads…" The blonde turned around and froze upon seeing the two girls from the car this morning. "Oh, shit. Uh…I have to go."

"Spencer Marie Carlin! Stop right there! We have to take you to get another x-ray. What the fuck is your rush?" The Latina also turned around and noticed the two brunettes. "Oh…um, hi, I'm Madison Duarte and this is… Shit! Where'd she run off to?" She then looked at what she was holding in her hand. "She ran off shirtless? That ho!" She then began speaking Spanish rapidly and waving the blue tank top in circles over her head. As amusing as the scene was, the sisters felt they should say something.

"Um, hey, my name is Kyla and this is my sister, Ashley. We're the Davies twins. We just moved here from New York City. It's nice to meet you, Madison," Kyle said with a smile being her ever-friendly self.

"Yeah, nice to meet you. Um…who was that girl and is she ok?" Ashley asked staring at the place where the blonde girl had just been.

"It's a pleasure to meet the two of you as well. That fine piece of ass was Spencer Carlin." Upon seeing one slightly confused and one jealous expression, she decided she should clarify. With a laugh she said, "Whoa there. Don't worry. She's just my best friend. She is quite the flaming homosexual though. Come with me and we'll talk." Kyla followed Madison out of the bathroom, while Ashley did a little happy dance.

"Ash! Get your ass out here right now and stop doing your little happy dance!" Kyla shouted from outside the bathroom. Ashley harrumphed and walked out with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I was _not_ doing my happy dance, bitch."

"Mhm, sure. I have a hard time believing that one, sis," teased back Kyla with a smirk. "Come on though. We need to find Madison. She said she'd explain a little bit." The sisters walked off in search of Madison and found her talking to a tall, muscular boy with dark hair. As they approached the two, they heard the tail end of the conversation.

"When these new girls walked in, she took off. We have to find her, Aid! If she ditches one more time, she'll be suspended again. And you know what they do to her if she gets suspended…" Madison trailed off with a panicked expression apparent on her face.

"I know, Mads. Don't worry, we'll find her," the young man replied soothingly while pulling the distressed Latina into a hug and placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Hey, Madison, um, is there anything we can do to help?" Ashley inquired softly, cursing herself for ruining the tender moment the two friends were sharing.

"Oh, hey, guys. This is my friend, Aiden. Aiden, this is Ashley and Kyla Davies. They just moved here from New York," Madison explained as the sisters shook hands with the boy before continuing. "I know I told you I would explain a little bit about Spencer, but it's really not my story to tell. All I can say is that she has a really horrible home life."

"How bad?" Kyla asked hesitantly. Ashley flicked her eyes back and forth between Aiden and Madison and saw the pained expressions that formed on their faces after Kyla's question.

"Let's just say if I were in her situation, I don't think I'd want to live anymore," Aiden replied, looking down at the ground. "I honestly don't know how she does it."

"We need to find her," Madison suddenly blurted out. She looked over at the two sisters. "Do you guys have a free period now too? I mean, you don't have to, but we would both really appreciate it if…"

"We do. And we'd be more than happy to help you find her," Ashley interrupted with a small smile, hoping to reassure the other two.


	4. Chapter 4

**~Chapter 4~**

_**Previously: **"We do. And we'd be more than happy to help you find her," Ashley interrupted with a small smile, hoping to reassure the other two. _

"Ok, awesome, thank you both so much," Aiden replied with a sigh of relief.

"Her favorite places to go are the park, the tattoo parlor, the record store, and the library," Madison informed the twins after calming down significantly. "Aiden and I will take the tattoo parlor and the record store. Can you two take the library and the park? They are really close to each other."

"Yeah, sure. Is it the park across the street from Tino's Pizzeria?" Kyla inquired, glancing shyly at Aiden.

"Yep, that's the one!" Aiden confirmed with a crooked grin directed towards the younger of the two sisters. "We should get going though. Here are our numbers, just send us a quick text now so we have yours too."

After the four exchanged numbers, they went their separate ways in search of the blonde. Ashley and Kyla drove to the library first, but had no luck locating Spencer. They then walked the short distance from the library to the park and were surprised and relieved to find the blonde girl they had been searching for sitting under a tree next to a pile of movies.

"You go try talking to her, Ash. I'll stay here and call Madison," Kyla murmured to her sister who nodded and headed over to the large tree. As she got closer, she heard Spencer quietly singing "The Worst Pies in London" from _Sweeney Todd and the Demon Barber of Fleet Street _and couldn't help but let out a small giggle.

* * *

After she sprinted out of the bathroom when the two brunettes walked in, Spencer stopped by her locker and grabbed her favorite over-sized sweatshirt to put on since she stupidly ran off without her shirt.

"I cannot believe I ran off without my shirt," she groaned to herself. "Madison and Aiden are definitely going to have a field day with this one." As she continued rambling to herself, she started walking with no place in mind. A few minutes later, she found herself in front of the library and she couldn't help but smiling.

Ten minutes later, Spencer found herself with an armful of movies. She threw a smile at the kind, elderly librarian before wandering over to the park. Once she reached the park, Spencer made her way over to her favorite tree. She delicately placed the DVDs down before plopping down herself. She rested her head against the tree, shut her eyes, and started singing songs from her favorite musicals. She was in the middle of what was, in her opinion, the best song from _Sweeney Todd and the Demon Barber of Fleet Street_, when she heard a soft chuckle. Her eyes shot open and she was met with the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen.

"'The Worst Pies in London'? Really?"

"Hey, what's wrong with it? _Sweeney Todd_ is an excellent film and c'mon, Helena Bonham Carter is a total MILF!"

"I agree with you there! I was just expressing my approval of your song choices. It's not every day that I come across someone who shares my love of both _Sweeney Todd_ and Helena Bonham Carter," Ashley said with a dazzling smile as she sat on the other side of the DVD pile. "Well, I'm impressed. You've got _To Have and Have Not_, _On the Waterfront_, _Rear Window_, _Arsenic and Old Lace_, _Rebel Without a Cause_, _12 Angry Men, _and one of my personal favorites, _Bringing Up Baby_." Spencer just stared at her in shock.

"You're a movie buff too?" She finally managed to choke out.

"Duh. You should see my collection!"

"Oh my god. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"You just quoted _Casablanca_, you nerd!"

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

"You are unbelievable. Quoting _Gone with the Wind_ now? What's next? Are you going to start shouting 'Stella! Hey, Stella!'?" Ashley teased.

"Hey! I thought we were on the same page here!" Spencer responded defensively, a smile making its way present onto her face.

"Oh, we are…nerd."

"Hey! Who do you think you are anyway?"

"Oh, right!" Ashley cried out, smacking her palm against her forehead. "My name's Ashley Davies and the girl becoming acquainted with that bush over there is my twin, Kyla," Ashley pointed out with a roll of her eyes.

"My name is Blanche DuBois," Spencer replied casually before ducking a swipe aimed at her head from Ashley. "Ok, ok! My name is Spencer Carlin. It's very nice to meet you, Ashley. And you too, Kyla!" Spencer called out over-enthusiastically. Kyla's jaw dropped open as she jumped up and almost fell into the bush she was attempting to hide herself behind. She composed herself and walked over to her sister and the blonde girl, who was laughing hysterically.

"Um, hi," muttered Kyla sheepishly with a hint of pink on her cheeks.

"Ky, this hyena over here is Spencer Carlin. Spencer, this is my not-so-ninja-like sister, Kyla." This only made Spencer laugh harder and Ashley thought it was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard. She remained silent as Spencer finally stopped laughing and began chatting with Kyla.

"Oh god, we have to get back to school!" Kyla suddenly shouted, interrupting Ashley from her thoughts.

"Oh, right, school," groaned Ashley as she stood up and offered her hand to help Spencer up. As soon as their hands touched, a jolt of electricity shot through them and startled Ashley so much that she almost let Spencer fall to the ground. Once Spencer regained her footing, she bent over to pick up her movies before turning around to face Ashley.

"Thanks," she said simply with a smile, but it was clear that this curly-haired brunette had deeply impacted the blonde in the short time they had known each other. The Davies sisters just watched her walk away, neither of them saying a word. When she had almost reached the parking lot, Spencer looked over her shoulder to address the other two who hadn't moved an inch. "You two coming or not?"

The brunettes shook their heads and hurried after the smirking girl. When they finally caught up to her, Spencer spoke again.

"Well, it's about damn time. I thought I was gonna have to go all Jack Torrance on your asses to get you two moving. Ooh, or better yet, how 'bout Norman Bates? Now there's a good villain."

"Huh?" Kyla asked, with a puzzled look on her face.

"She's making references to _The Shining _and _Psycho_. Try not to hurt yourself, Ky."

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!" Spencer cheered while raising one arm above her head.

"So you enjoy wielding an ax and preying on innocent women and their children as well as attacking beautiful girls with a butcher knife while they are in the shower? Maybe you need to have a run-in with Nurse Ratched," Ashley responded sardonically.

"God, woman after my own heart!" Spencer cried out dramatically as she winked at Ashley, who rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"C'mon you two, we need to get back to school in ten minutes!" Kyla screeched, finally putting a stop to the playful banter being shared by the two movie buffs.

"Yes, mommie dearest!" The two called out simultaneously.

"Jinx!" Ashley exclaimed, pointing at Spencer.

"Hey, it's not my fault we both thought of Joan Crawford!"

"Would you two cut it out?" Growled Kyla.

"I think we found Nurse Ratched, Ash," Spencer whispered hastily into Ashley's ear, who could only nod and smile a goofy grin after having the blonde so close to her.

* * *

**A/N: Alrighty, I'm sorry if this chapter disappoints y'all, but I was in the mood to do a lighthearted chapter! :) Also, if you can't tell, I am a huuuuge movie buff so there are going to be a lot of movie references now that Ashley and Spencer have finally been formally introduced to each other. I'll make sure to explain them all in the context of the story, but if you have any questions feel free to ask. Oh yeah, I'll try to update every couple of days, but my laptop screen is really messed up. (I'm talking hardcore messed up. I typed a lot of this chapter with one hand because the other one was pinching the top of the screen, so I could actually see what I was typing!) Well, I think that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Elizabeth**

**P.S. I really don't want to be one of those authors who begs for reviews, buuuut I'd really appreciate any feedback at all. I thrive off of it and it makes me update faster! Thank you in advance! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Heya, guys, I just wanted to thank all of you for your wonderful feedback! I'll have another chapter up tomorrow!**

* * *

**~Chapter 5~**

_**Previously: **__"I think we found Nurse Ratched, Ash," Spencer whispered hastily into Ashley's ear, who could only nod and smile a goofy grin after having the blonde so close to her._

When the three finally made it back to school, they were met with the sight of a fuming Latina being held back by a sheepish looking Aiden.

"Spencer Marie Carlin! What the hell were you thinking running off like that? Do you have _any_ idea how worried we were?"

"Easy there, Mads. I was in very good company," Spencer informed her best friend with a smile as she glanced back at an embarrassed looking Ashley.

"I'm so sorry, Madison!" Kyla blurted out. "We would have been back a lot sooner if Thelma and Louise over there would have cooperated!" She continued, with an exasperated sigh as she gestured over to a snickering Spencer and Ashley who high-fived each other.

"Way to go, Kyla! But which one am I? Please tell me I'm Louise. Susan Sarandon is a badass. Plus, it was her idea to kiss Geena Davis right before they—"

"Hey! Why do _you_ get to be Louise? I can totally be a badass!"

"Are you throwing a temper tantrum? How very Thelma of you," teased Spencer.

"See what I mean?" Kyla cried out as she threw her arms up into the air. Madison opened her mouth to scold Spencer for her childish behavior, but before she could utter a word, a deep voice rang out behind the group.

"Miss Carlin, I was just informed that you missed your first two classes this morning." The whole group held their breath.

"I'm really sorry, Principal Stark. It won't happen again, I promise," spoke Spencer as calmly as she could.

"I'm really sorry, Miss Carlin," the middle-aged man replied sympathetically, "but I am going to have to send you home and give you a three day suspension as well as contact your parents." The man placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently before walking back into the building. Not a word was said between the five until Spencer cleared her throat to break the silence.

"Guys, it's cool. I'll be fine, I always am," she muttered softly with a small, crooked grin that did nothing to ease the worry the group was feeling. Madison just nodded her head slightly and embraced the girl in front of her. She whispered something into the blonde-haired beauty's ear, pecked her on the cheek, and moved aside to let Aiden through.

"Please be careful, Spence," he murmured to the girl who had become his little sister.

"You know I will, Aid," Spencer promised, wrapping her arms around the tall boy who kissed her forehead and reluctantly let her out of his protective grasp. "I'll see you guys soon. Stay out of trouble! Ashley, Kyla, it was very nice meeting you both. I'm sure all of us will grow to be great friends," she said with a genuine smile. She looked at the four again before giving a mock salute and heading for the parking lot. When she was close to the sidewalk by the green and yellow sign, she felt a hand clasp around her wrist. She turned around, expecting to see Aiden or Madison, but was shocked to see the beautiful, curly-haired brunette.

"I know we don't know each other that well yet, but here's my number. Please feel free to call me if you need anything at all," Ashley spoke barely above a whisper, legitimate concern shining in her eyes. Spencer nodded and programmed the number into her phone before tossing the object into her backpack.

"Well, thank you, Thelma, but aren't I supposed to be the one bailing you out?" Spencer joked while throwing an arm around her new friend.

"Yeah, well, we never fully established that you were Louise. Plus, Thelma did end up growing a pair by the end of the movie if you remember correctly."

"I know, I know," Spencer finally relented with a smile. "I better get going though. Here's looking at you, kid."

"Again with the _Casablanca_ references?" Ashley pointed out, not wanting the other girl to leave just yet. Spencer only shrugged in response before turning around to head home. Ashley just stood there, watching her walk away until she was no longer in sight.

"Ash, c'mon, we have to get to class! Turns out Madison and Aiden have the same class with us," Kyla called out to her sister. Ashley sighed and made her way back to the quad to pick up her bag and join the others on their way to class. Before she walked into the classroom, she pulled Madison aside.

"She will be ok, won't she?" Ashley spoke timidly.

"I hope so…" replied the Latina while running a hand through her hair. "She's unbelievably strong and appears to be fine on the outside, but I know she's panicking on the inside." Ashley didn't know what to say to that, so she just looked at the ground sadly, allowing Madison to drag her inside the room right as the bell rang. She didn't even get the chance to sit down before she was called to the front of the class.

"Class, these are our new students, Ashley and Kyla Davies. They just moved here from New York! Please make them feel welcome," their teacher, Mrs. Robinson, stated while gesturing to the twins. Ashley and Kyla just shifted uncomfortably, not liking all of the blank stares they were receiving. "Well, you two may take your seats now."

"Thank you," mumbled the sisters simultaneously before rushing to their seats. As soon as Ashley sat down, thoughts of a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty began swimming through her mind. She was so caught up in her musings that she didn't even react when the bell rang, signaling the end of class. After Kyla nudged her roughly, she shook her head to clear her mind and joined her sister, Aiden, and Madison as they journeyed to the quad for lunch.

* * *

As Spencer made her way home, she tried her best to avoid thinking about her pending fate. Instead, she began thinking about the curly-haired brunette with chocolate brown eyes. She didn't know why, but this Ashley girl made a spark stir deep inside her that she thought would remain forever dormant. She sighed and forced these ridiculous thoughts out of her head.

"No," she muttered angrily to herself. "You cannot start feeling something for anybody again. You'll only get hurt." Spencer continued babbling to herself as she approached her driveway and froze when she saw both her mother's car and Ben's car parked in the garage. After standing there for a few minutes, she rolled her eyes and decided that she didn't want to deal with them just yet, so she went over to the tattoo parlor hoping to run into this girl who seemed very interested in her.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well, this chapter was incredibly hard to write. I'm warning you now that it is very dark.**

* * *

**~Chapter 6~ **

_**Previously: **__"No," she muttered angrily to herself. "You cannot start feeling something for anybody again. You'll only get hurt." Spencer continued babbling to herself as she approached her driveway and froze when she saw both her mother's car and Ben's car parked in the garage. After standing there for a few minutes, she rolled her eyes and decided that she didn't want to deal with them just yet, so she went over to the tattoo parlor hoping to run into a girl who seemed very interested in her. _

As luck would have it, Spencer did indeed run into the fiery red-head at the tattoo parlor as she was designing some new tattoos. Spencer politely coughed to get the woman's attention and was pleased when she was met with mischievous emerald eyes. The two chatted and flirted with each other until the young artist got off work at six. As they exited the tattoo parlor, Spencer realized how famished she was. She asked the red-head if they could go grab a bite to eat and the woman, eager to spend as much time with the infamous, young blonde as possible, said yes. When they had finished their meals and paid the bill, it was around eight thirty, so the tattoo artist, whose name Spencer could just not remember, looked at her and batted her eyelashes asking if they could go to Gray. Spencer rolled her eyes, but gave in to the auburn-haired young woman. They danced for a few hours and the older woman was more than tipsy, so Spencer led her over to a booth before getting her companion some water. As soon as she sat down, the other woman began trailing her fingers up and down Spencer's arm and kissing her neck. The blonde wasn't really paying attention though as her struggle to remember the red-head's name continued. 'Screw it,' she thought to herself.

"Hey, babe, wanna head back to your place?" Spencer whispered seductively, oozing confidence. As soon as she heard her counterpart giggle, Spencer knew she was just about to get what she wanted and couldn't help but smirk. "Excellent."

The two made their way to the seemingly nameless girl's car. As they neared it, Spencer, being her ever charming self, opened the passenger's side door for the other woman before getting in on the driver's side. Once they started driving, Spencer's hand snaked its way underneath the other's skirt. By the time they had finally reached the girl's building at around midnight, Spencer had the read-head whimpering. As soon as they set foot inside her apartment, the blonde didn't waste any time. She needed to blow off steam and she needed to do it now. They barely made it to the bedroom before Spencer had removed the other girl's clothes. The moment they entered the bedroom, the door was closed and the two entangled their bodies before falling onto the bed for countless hours of meaningless sex.

Many hours later, Spencer soundlessly crept out of the apartment immediately after the unknown girl fell asleep. She checked the time on her phone, saw that it was four o'clock in the morning, and realized, with dread looming over her, that she needed to return home.

By the time she was on her street, it was around four forty-five and the adrenaline had finally worn off and left Spencer wincing in pain due to the beating she'd received early this morning and her 'extra-curricular' activities with the red-head. She stopped at the end of her driveway, took a deep breath, and headed towards her front door. She didn't even get one foot in the door before she was dragged inside by her hair.

"Where the fuck have you been, you stupid, spoiled bitch?" Her mother spat out as the sound of flesh hitting flesh rang out in the foyer. She grabbed the backpack off Spencer's back and threw it to the ground before snarling, "We got another call from your principal today. He told us that you've been suspended yet again." Another slap resonated throughout the room. "How would your father feel knowing that his _precious_ little girl was fucking up day after day?" Paula taunted, causing Spencer to clinch her fists at the mention of her beloved father.

Her mother just cackled maniacally at her reaction before motioning for Ben to take over. Spencer knew what was coming next. It happened every time she got suspended. She allowed herself to be forced up the stairs and shoved into her brothers' former room. She let numbness consume her yet again as her stepfather tore off her clothes and threw her against the bedroom wall. Spencer felt her head make contact with the wall with a loud, echoing crack and struggled to remain upright. As she slid to the floor, she felt a foot harshly connect with her side over and over again. She was forced up and hurled carelessly onto the bed. She felt punches being thrown all over every inch of her body and saw Ben remove his pants before darkness devoured her.

At seven o'clock the next morning, Spencer awoke in searing pain. She groaned and listened closely for any noises in the house. When she was met with silence, she breathed a sigh of relief and slowly climbed off of the bed. She made her way across the room warily and turned down the hall to stop by her own room to retrieve some clothes. She threw on a pair of her brother's old basketball shorts and a sports bra and exited her room to go downstairs. She made it about halfway down the stairs before swaying slightly. After resting for a few moments, she moved cautiously down the rest of the stairs and entered the foyer, making sure to avoid looking at her reflection in the mirror. As soon as she bent over to grab her phone out of her backpack, the poor physical state of her body finally caught up with her. She collapsed to the ground, but not before her thumb pressed the send button.

* * *

Ashley was getting ready for school, when she heard her phone start to ring. She picked it up off the dresser, not recognizing the number, but answered anyway.

"Hello?" She asked hesitantly, but was met with silence. "Hello?" Still nothing. Slightly frustrated, Ashley hung up the phone and pressed redial. The phone rang for several seconds before going straight to voicemail.

"Hey, you've reached the phone of Spencer Carlin. I'm probably participating in some sort of shenanigans, so please feel free to leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can." As soon as the recording came to an end, Ashley gasped and dropped her phone. She scurried over to her bag in which she found the school directory she thought she'd never use. She found Spencer's address, copied it down, and sprinted down the stairs.

"Kyla, find your own way to school! There's something I have to go check on!" She informed her sister, who grumbled back a response. Ashley hopped into her car and sped all the way to Spencer's house. She pulled into the driveway, rushed to the front door, and took a deep breath. She put her hand on the knob and turned it gently, bracing herself for what she was about to see. As soon as she opened the door, she realized that nothing could have prepared her for this.

There, lying in an awkward position was a barely recognizable, unconscious Spencer Carlin. As she neared the blonde, an unsettling feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. Spencer looked terrible. There was blood all over her, even in her golden locks. Her beautiful face was swollen, black, and blue. Bruises, cuts, and bite marks covered her body. Ashley bent over and tried to locate the girl's pulse, fearing for the worst. She was relieved to find a pulse albeit a weak one and knew she had to get Spencer to a hospital as soon as possible. She whipped out her phone and called Madison, praying that she'd answer.

"Hola, chica. Have you heard from Spence by any chance?" The Latina inquired, with a slight tone of panic in her voice.

"Um, yeah, I have. That's sort of why I called."

"Oh my god, what happened?"

"I don't know if she meant to call me, but I rushed over to her house and found her unconscious in the foyer. She's in pretty bad shape," Ashley spoke sadly. "What should I do?"

"You'll have to take her to the hospital in the next city. Her mother and stepfather work at the main one here in L.A. and have connections to all of the local hospitals. Aiden, Kyla, and I will meet you there if you think you can manage on your own," Madison answered quickly, her voice quivering ever so slightly.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll call you when we get there."

"Thanks, Ashley. You have no idea how much this means to me," replied Madison in a sincere tone.

"It's no problem at all, really. See you soon." With that, Ashley hung up the phone and managed to pick Spencer up. She carried the blonde to to the car bridal style, ignoring the softness of the other girl's skin, and placed her down as gently as she could before jumping into the driver's seat.

* * *

**A/N, part II: See? I told you it was dark. I apologize for that, but it is very crucial to the storyline, I promise. **

******On a lighter note, this morning I was watching the Girltrash! All Night Long trailer and was laughing hysterically when my stepmom walked in, giving me a very weird look. I tried to explain what I was watching, but to no avail. I don't know if any of you are Girltrash! fans, but I recommend watching the hilarious trailer for this new movie starring Mandy Musgrave, Gabrielle Christian, and many others!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I apologize first for the length of this author's note and second for not updating sooner. I've been working a lot lately and by the time I got home, I was so exhausted that all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and watch the Golden Girls, haha.**

**I know many of you are annoyed with the fact that Spencer doesn't stand up to her parents, but I know from experience how difficult it is to stand up to an abusive parent. For the majority of my life, I dealt with an abusive mother. I don't want to sound like I know everything, but standing up to an abusive parent or even a significant other is very difficult. Those of us who are lucky enough to gain the courage to stand up to our abuser get out of the harmful environment but not without consequences.**

**As for why Ashley didn't call 911. She was terrified and just wanted to get Spencer to the hospital as soon as possible. Remember that they have only known each other for a day and Ashley doesn't know anything about Spencer's family life and what she's had to deal with.**

**As the author, I know what is going to happen with this story even though I don't have it all the way written out and I promise you that you will be happy with this story and where it's going.** **Please have faith in me :)**

**Well, enough of my rambling, onto the story! This chapter offers a look inside Spencer's past as well as her reasoning for not doing anything about her situation.**

* * *

**~Chapter 7~**

_**Previously: **__"It's no problem at all, really. See you soon." With that, Ashley hung up the phone and managed to pick Spencer up. She carried the blonde to the car bridal style, ignoring the softness of the other girl's skin, and placed her down as gently as she could before jumping into the driver's seat._

Ashley made it to the hospital in record time. As soon as she found a parking spot right in front of the hospital, she rushed over to the passenger's side where she carefully lifted up Spencer. She carried her into the emergency room and was met with numerous stares from the nurses and other patients.

"Excuse me, miss," a kind-hearted doctor finally spoke. "I'm Dr. Carter. What can I do for you?" Ashley turned to look at her before she began informing the doctor as quickly as she could about Spencer's current state.

"Please just help her," pleaded Ashley.

"We will, I promise," Dr. Carter assured her soothingly before looking towards a group of interns and nurses. "Hey, bring me a gurney ASAP!" She bellowed. Before Ashley knew what was happening, the doctor took Spencer out of her arms, placed her onto the gurney, and wheeled her away with an accompanying group of frantic looking nurses.

A sympathetic nurse led her to a private waiting room, leaving her with the assurance that she would be informed of Spencer's condition as soon as possible. Ashley nodded numbly before getting out her phone and calling Madison again.

"Heya, we're pulling in now. Be there in a sec."

"Ok, I'm in the private waiting room to the left of the receptionist." Less than a minute later, Kyla, Madison, and Aiden bustled in and froze when they saw Ashley covered in what they were assuming was Spencer's blood.

"Ash," murmured Kyla sadly as she hurried over to her sister. As soon as she felt her sister's arms around her, Ashley finally broke down. Aiden and Madison sat next to the sisters, struggling to maintain their composure and praying that their friend would pull through.

Several hours later, Dr. Carter walked up to the now slumbering group. She shook Ashley gently, who woke up with a start.

"Hey, I'm sorry for startling you, but I just wanted to update you on your friend's condition."

"Oh, ok. Guys, wake up! Dr. Carter's here to tell us about Spencer." The other three awoke suddenly at the mention of their friend.

"How is she?" Madison quietly muttered.

"She has a minor cerebral contusion, five cracked ribs, severe bruising, and signs of sexual assault. Physically, she'll be ok in a few weeks," the young doctor informed the group, who collectively let out a sigh of relief. "Mentally, however, could take much longer. She just woke up and is asking for you guys, so feel free to go in and visit her."

"Alright, thank you so much, Dr. Carter," Aiden told her genuinely as he stood up and shook her hand. The doctor nodded her head and exited the room, leaving the group to talk amongst themselves.

"Well, we ready to go and see our girl?" Madison asked the group. Kyla and Aiden nodded their heads and moved to the door. The three stopped and looked at Ashley, who remained sitting.

"You guys go ahead. I'll, uh, be there in a second," Ashley addressed them softly. Kyla ushered the other two out of the room before walking over to her distraught sister.

"Ok, Ash, that's fine. Promise me you won't shut down though. I don't want to lose you again."

"I know, Ky. I just want to sit here for a bit and process everything."

"Alright. I love you."

"Love you too." Kyla hugged her sister and kissed her on the cheek before joining Aiden and Madison in the hallway. Ashley took a deep breath and went to find a bathroom, so she could clean herself off before she saw the blonde-haired beauty.

After twenty minutes, the three stopped by the room and told Ashley that Spencer was asking for her and that they were going to head home. Ashley nodded her head and knew it was her time to go visit the blonde, so she stood up and said goodbye to her friends before heading to Spencer's room. She slipped into the room quietly and was met with a smiling Spencer.

"Ah, my knight in shining armor has finally gained enough courage to see me at last!"

"Oh, hush," mumbled Ashley, a blush covering her face. "How're you feeling?"

"Like Terry Malloy at the end of _On the Waterfront_," groaned Spencer with a crooked grin.

"Ah, of course, another movie reference," Ashley chortled while rolling her eyes.

"Hey, you're the only person I know who actually _gets_ all of my references, so naturally I'm going to bombard you with them whenever you're near!" Ashley laughed again and sat down. She studied the other girl, who was very pale. She had a nasty looking black eye, but her smile was just as dazzling as ever. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Thanks, you know, for saving me," Spencer finally said. "Madison told me how awesome you were about everything."

"Oh, it was nothing. I'm just glad I was able to help at all," spoke Ashley modestly. "Spencer, there is something I've been meaning to ask you though."

"I think I know what you're gonna ask, but go ahead."

"Why do you stay there? Why don't you file a report against them? Why don't you—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, one at a time, Ash," interrupted Spencer with a chuckle. "I guess I stay there because even though that house holds a lot of bad memories, a lot of good times were shared there by my family before the accident."

"What happened?"

Spencer sighed sadly, "my dad, Glen, and Clay—my two older brothers—were coming to see me perform at a local bar. They were hit head on by a drunk driver and were killed instantly."

"Spencer, I'm so—"

"Stop. I'm learning to get over it one step at a time. As for why I don't report my mother and stepfather. They are the two top surgeons in the nation. They save hundreds of lives every week. Who am I to be the reason why people die? Besides, my mom's not all that bad. Ben brings out the worst in her…" Spencer paused. "You know I wouldn't be telling you all this right now if I wasn't drugged out of my mind, right?"

"Yeah, I figured." Before Ashley could continue, Dr. Carter walked in.

"Hey, Miss Carlin. Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" She inquired upon seeing Ashley.

"Oh, no, not at all, gorgeous," Spencer assured her with a smile. "And how many times have I told you to call me Spence?"

"About a hundred times since you woke up while I was checking your vitals." Spencer only grinned coyly and shrugged. "I came in here to tell you that you can leave tomorrow, but you have to take it easy for the next three weeks."

"What!"

"Sorry, Spence, but rules are rules."

"Ugh, fine, but can you and I celebrate once I'm all healed again?" Spencer suggested with a wink.

"Oh, yes, definitely. I'll be sure to give you my number before you leave," she replied with a smile.

"That sounds wonderful, darling," Spencer drawled out like Katharine Hepburn. The young doctor laughed and waved goodbye before leaving the room. As soon as she left, Spencer could've sworn she heard Ashley grumbling something along the lines of 'figures that the damn doctor would be a bisexual Olivia Wilde lookalike.'

"What was that?" Spencer asked with a hint of a smirk present on her face.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Well, I should probably get going." Ashley stood up and moved towards the door.

"Wait!" Spencer blurted out, startling both herself and Ashley. "Um, we are pretty much like Thelma and Louise, right? That means we're bound to be great friends. I mean, without the whole running from the law thing. What I'm saying is that I'd like to hang out with you some time. We can, uh, eat animal crackers and drink fruit punch and play Scrabble and watch movies, of course, and—"

"Sure, Spence," laughed Ashley, putting a stop to the blonde's rambling. "I'll call tomorrow to see when you're going to be released and we can think of something from there, ok?" Spencer smiled almost bashfully and nodded her head. "I'll see you later, Louise."

"See ya on the flip side, Thelma!" Spencer called out to the brunette, who rolled her eyes and waved to the other girl before exiting the room. As soon as the door closed once again, Spencer started muttering to herself. "Smooth, Spence, smooth. No girl has ever made you babble like that or made your heart race that fast." She paused and blew her hair out of her face. "Eh, I'll just blame it on the drugs."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Well, I have good news. I finally got a new laptop! That means updating is going to be a hell of a lot easier from now on, haha. But enough about that. The main purpose of this author's note is to thank all of your for your feedback. I really, really, really appreciate it! :) **

**This chapter is another lighthearted one, so I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

**~Chapter 8~**

_**Previously: **__"See ya on the flip side, Thelma!" Spencer called out to the brunette, who rolled her eyes and waved to the other girl before exiting the room. As soon as the door closed once again, Spencer started muttering to herself. "Smooth, Spence, smooth. No girl has ever made you babble like that or made your heart race that fast." She paused and blew her hair out of her face. "Eh, I'll just blame it on the drugs."_

The next day, Ashley arrived at the hospital at exactly three o'clock to pick up Spencer. She walked into her room and froze upon seeing Spencer wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Ashley gulped and looked the blonde up and down. When her eyes reached the other girl's face, she was met with a pair of mischievous blue eyes.

"We have got to stop meeting like this, Ashley dear," the blonde taunted good-heartedly as she put on a sweatshirt. The brunette turned bright red and quickly decided that the ceiling looked rather interesting.

"So, uh, you ready to go?" The brown-eyed girl finally spoke.

"Hell yes. I fucking hate hospitals!"

"You're still heavily medicated, aren't you?" Ashley chuckled.

"Ohh, yeah. But enough chit chat, let's get out of here!" As the two were about to exit the room, they ran into Dr. Carter who was met with a glare from Ashley and an enormous smile from Spencer.

"Thank god, I caught you before you left," the young doctor breathed out. "Here's my number. Don't forget to call me so we can celebrate when you're all healed again," she reminded the blonde with a wink.

"Oh, don't worry, I most definitely will," the blonde promised with a laugh. They bid their farewells to each other as Spencer was dragged away from the gorgeous doctor by an annoyed-looking Ashley. "Whoa there, tiger. I'm still injured, you know!"

"Oh, right," Ashley replied with a slap to her forehead. "Sorry, Spence."

"Tis fine, Thelma!" Spencer told her with a smile. She linked their arms and began humming "We're Off to See the Wizard" as they exited the hospital and made their way to Ashley's car. They hopped in and the brunette started it up. Suddenly, music filled the air.

"Mama's got a squeeze box she wears on her chest. And when daddy gets home, he never gets no rest. 'Cause she's playing all night and the music's all right. Mama's got a squeeze box. Daddy never sleeps at night."

"What the hell is this?" Spencer screeched.

"It's a song…by The Who called 'Squeeze Box'."

"Well, it sounds quite vulgar!"

"Psh, who are you to talk?" Ashley teased. "Besides, it's a classic! The Who are amazing. Haven't you ever seen _Tommy_?"

"Hmm, no, can't say that I have. What's it about?"

"Um, words can't really describe it," laughed Ashley. "It's pretty much just as trippy as _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_. I take it you've seen that?"

"Well I was walking down the street just a-having a think when a snake of a guy gave me an evil wink. He shook-a me up, he took me by surprise. He had a pickup truck, and the devil's eyes. He stared at me and I felt a change. Time meant nothing, never would again. Let's do the time warp again!" Spencer sang. "Of course I've seen it! You know how much I love Susan Sarandon!" Ashley rolled her eyes and tried to hide her smile. When they stopped at a red light, she studied the blonde's face.

"Does it hurt?" She asked quietly.

"What? This black eye?" Ashley nodded. "Nah, not at all. It's not nearly as bad as the black eye I got from Glen."

"Oh my god, what did he do?"

"It's actually a very funny story. A couple of years ago, Glen and I were hanging out in our basement when all of a sudden, he shouted, 'head's up!' I looked up and wham! I was nailed in the face by a dancing penguin toy that he had hurled at me! It cut me right under my eye and I bruised horribly! I looked like a panda for days!"

"Are you serious?" Ashley exclaimed.

"One hundred percent! I've been terrified of dancing penguins ever since." Ashley started cracking up and Spencer merely smiled, happy she could make the other girl laugh. "Hey, do you think we could stop by my house once we get back into Lala land?" That shut Ashley up immediately.

"Um, Spence, do you think that's a good idea?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine. They'll be at work." Ashley looked at her anxiously. "Don't make me do my infamous pout."

"Alright, fine, but I'm going inside with you and I'm bringing my pepper spray!"

"Ok, ok," chuckled Spencer. "Soooo, what do you wanna do today?"

"Hmm, how 'bout we bake some cookies and watch movies?" Ashley suggested shyly.

"Are you shitting me?" Spencer asked in disbelief.

"Um, no, why?"

"It's usually like pulling teeth to get anyone to watch movies with me! My ex hated movies and—" Spencer paused. "Oh, look, we're on my street." Ashley ignored the obvious change in subject and pulled into Spencer's driveway. The blonde jumped out of the car and walked up to the front door. She fished the spare key from out of the plant and opened the door. "You coming, Ash?"

"Yeah, right behind you!" Ashley replied as she climbed out of the car, pepper spray in hand.

"Ash, the pepper spray is really not necessary. They aren't even home," laughed Spencer. The two entered the house and walked into the kitchen where Spencer found a note on the refrigerator. She read it out loud.

"Spence, Ben and I will be gone for the next month and a half or so for various medical conventions and then a vacation. Take care and don't burn the house down. Mom." She finished reading it. "See? She's not _that_ bad." But Ashley didn't hear her. She was feeling too relieved at the fact that the blonde's mother and stepfather were going to be gone for almost two months. Suddenly, her train of thought was interrupted by Spencer shouting, "Stella! Hey, Stella!"

"Whaaaat?" Ashley yelped.

"About time I got your attention. If that hadn't worked, I thought I was gonna have to parade around naked," joked Spencer as Ashley's eyes glazed over. "Well, while you stand there like a zombie, I'm gonna go grab some things for tonight," she informed her friend as she headed up the stairs. Ashley shook her head and walked around the house to get her mind off of the girl who was making her so flustered.

A few minutes later, Spencer came down the stairs, Scrabble and DVDs in hand.

"What the hell is on your shirt?" Ashley asked upon seeing the blonde's new clothes.

"The logo from Piggly Wiggly…" replied Spencer slowly.

"Huh?"

"Piggly Wiggly! It's a supermarket chain. A spaceship crashes into the parking lot of one in _Space Jam_!"

"Please tell me that's not the only reason why you have that shirt."

"Um, no comment."

"You are such a nerd!"

"Hey, at least I'm not the one who walked into an empty house armed with pepper spray!"

"Alright, alright, sheesh! If I ever see a Piggly Wiggly, I will go in and buy a shirt!"

"You better! Or else we can't be friends anymore," teased Spencer. "Ready to go?" Ashley nodded and the duo made their way to the car. They drove the short distance between their houses and Spencer's jaw dropped upon seeing the Davies' household.

"Holy shit! Your house is huge!"

"Oh, it's nothing, really. I'm afraid it's a bit of a mess since we've only been here for a few days though." She paused. "Actually, it looks very similar to Big Daddy's basement in _Cat on a Hot Tin Roof_." Spencer put her hand up to her heart overdramatically.

"My god, you really are a woman after my own heart, aren't you?" Ashley rolled her eyes and got out of the car.

"C'mon, Spence. Time's a'wastin'!" Ashley called out to the blonde, who stuck her tongue out. The two made their way into the house and Spencer's jaw dropped again. "Would you like the grand tour of our humble abode?" Ashley asked in a British accent.

"Um, yeah if that's ok," Spencer grinned sheepishly.

"Ok," Ashley beamed. "Right this way." Ashley showed Spencer every room of the large house until they reached the brunette's bedroom. "So, uh, what do you think?"

"I love it," the blonde informed her genuinely. "It's very you." The room was covered with posters of various bands and movies. A beautiful red guitar was resting gently against the foot of the bed. Spencer stood there admiring the room until she noticed something on the bed. "Oh my god, is that a Pillow Pet?" Laughed Spencer.

"What? No!" Ashley cried out before running over to her bed to hide the offending panda. This action only made Spencer laugh even harder. "Shut up," mumbled the brunette, a blush covering her cheeks.

"Well, my dear, it looks like I've made you blush yet again." Ashley threw the Pillow Pet across the room and hit Spencer in the head. "You know, you look rather cute when you blush like that," the blonde slipped out before she could stop herself, causing the brown-eyed girl to turn even redder. "Um, well, I, uh, let's bake cookies!" The blonde hurried out of the room and down to the kitchen. Ashley smiled goofily and followed the blue-eyed girl down the stairs.

"Sooo, what kind of cookies do you want to bake?" Ashley finally asked.

"Uh, chocolate chip? They're my favorite," replied Spencer rather bashfully.

"Really? Mine too!" Ashley replied excitedly before digging through the cabinets, collecting the necessary ingredients. As they began mixing them together, Spencer broke the silence.

"What's your favorite color?"

"What?"

"I asked you what your favorite color was," chuckled the blonde.

"Oh, uh, it's blue. Why do you ask?"

"I want to get to know you, silly."

"Oh, ok. Well, what's _your_ favorite color?"

"Orange! What's your favorite animal?"

"Hmm, an otter. What's your favorite season?"

"Fall. What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"Oh boy. I'd have to say…mint chocolate chip or chocolate chip cookie dough."

"No way! Mine too!"

"Well, don't we have a lot in common," laughed Ashley. "We better get these cookies in the oven before we eat all the dough!"

"Very well. Ruin all my fun," pouted the blonde.

"I'm not gonna fall for that pout, Spence."

"Ugh, fine," Spencer relented as she set the timer. The brunette shook her head and smiled at the other girl.

"You're ridiculous." Spencer merely shrugged and smiled the crooked grin the other girl was growing to adore. "What DVDs did you bring?"

"Uh, _The Big Chill_,_ The Philadelphia Story_,_ How to Train Your Dragon_, and _The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert_."

"All great movies, but I haven't even heard of that last one."

"Oh my god, we have to watch it! Now! It's a hilarious movie about Australian drag queens!" The blonde told Ashley enthusiastically.

"Ok, ok! We'll go watch it as soon as these cookies are done," the brunette promised with a smile. Spencer threw her a dazzling smile and gave her a one armed hug. A few minutes later, the cookies were done and the girls, armed with warm cookies and milk, made their way to the Davies' small home theater. Ashley popped in the DVD and sat down on the couch next to the blonde. The two ate their cookies silently, only laughing here and there at the movie's brilliant wit. As the movie progressed, Spencer unknowingly rested her head on Ashley's shoulder, whose immediate reaction was to put her arm around the other girl. Had the two been paying attention, however, they would have noticed Kyla smiling at the sight in front of her as she hurried off to inform her new friends about what was happening between her sister and the beautiful blonde.

* * *

**A/N, part II: Here's a fun fact: the story about Spencer getting a black eye from a dancing penguin toy actually happened to me :P**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Alrighty, well, here's another chapter. I don't know how good it is (I'm kind of in a bit of a funk and have no one to whine to, ha), but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Once again, thank you for your feedback! Your reviews make me smile :)**

* * *

**~Chapter 9~**

_**Previously: **__"Ok, ok! We'll go watch it as soon as these cookies are done," the brunette promised with a smile. Spencer threw her a dazzling smile and gave her a one armed hug. A few minutes later, the cookies were done and the girls, armed with warm cookies and milk made their way to the Davies' small home theater. Ashley popped in the DVD and sat down on the couch next to the blonde. The two ate their cookies silently, only laughing here and there at the movie's brilliant wit. As the movie progressed, Spencer unknowingly rested her head on Ashley's shoulder, whose immediate reaction was to put her arm around the other girl. Had the two been paying attention, however, they would have noticed Kyla smiling at the sight in front of her as she hurried to inform her new friends about what was happening between her sister and the beautiful blonde. _

As the movie came to an end, neither Ashley nor Spencer moved from their position on the couch, both too content with how they were. Eventually, the credits ended and the DVD menu popped up. Ashley finally stood and stretched, grinning at the blonde who was now pouting.

"Hey! Why'd you get up? I was comfy!"

"Sorry, Spence, but I'm not gonna sit here and watch the menu play over and over again," laughed the brunette. "That movie was amazing, by the way! I almost cried, I was laughing so hard." This caused the blonde to beam. "Well, what do you wanna watch next?"

"Hmm, I don't care. You pick!"

"Alright, how 'bout _Psycho_?" Ashley suggested to the other girl, whose eyes opened wide.

"You are truly amazing!"

"I take it that's a yes then?" The only response she got was Spencer nodding her head enthusiastically. Ashley put in the DVD and sat back down on the couch several inches away from Spencer. The blonde noticed this and frowned, not knowing whether or not this was intentional.

"Maybe I'm being too forward," she thought sadly to herself, but to her surprise the brunette opened her arms and encouraged the other girl to come closer. She did and the two cuddled up next to each other once more as the infamous _Psycho_ theme started playing. They sat there watching the movie intently until they both slowly drifted to sleep.

An hour or so later, Ashley was awoken by Spencer tossing and turning in her sleep. The still sleeping girl began shouting "no" over and over again and the brown-eyed girl knew she had to wake her up.

"Spence, honey, please wake up," she murmured softly as she gently shook the girl. Suddenly, the blonde's eyes shot open and she looked around fearfully. "Spence, it's me Ashley. You were having a nightmare. I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise." The blue-eyed girl just lay there, unsure of what to say.

"Um, I should go," she finally spoke and started to get up off the couch.

"Oh, no, you don't," Ashley replied firmly. "It's much too late and you were only released from the hospital today. I'm going to go get your pain pills and a change of clothes. You're staying here tonight." The other girl opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by the brunette. "No buts! If you even think about trying to leave, I'll send Kyla after you. And trust me, you don't want to deal with that."

"Fine, but only because I can envision how scary Kyla can be!" Spencer eventually surrendered, folding her arms across her chest. This caused the other girl to smirk.

"Good girl," teased Ashley, making Spencer start to grumble to herself about women in authority abusing their power. The brown-eyed girl chuckled and exited the room to fetch the medication and some pajamas. She returned a few minutes later and handed the blonde a glass of water and the pain pills.

"Why thank you, warden," the blonde responded before she swallowed the pills.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Now put these clothes on."

"Ooh, feisty! I like it," whispered the blonde flirtatiously as she stepped closer to the other girl and took the gym shorts and tank top. Ashley turned around, allowing the other girl some privacy as she changed her clothes.

"Nice try, Spence, but you're staying here for the night. Hell, I'll probably make sure you stay here every night or at least have someone stay with you at your house." She unexpectedly felt a hand on her shoulder and faced the blonde, whom she had never seen look so serious.

"Why?" Ashley looked at her with a puzzled expression on her face. "Why do you care so much? You don't even know me." The other girl took a step back.

"No, I don't, but I'd like to. As for why I care so much, I'm not entirely sure. There's just something about you…"

"Great looks and a charming personality?" The blonde inquired with a smirk, back to her usual self.

"Uh huh. Let's get you to bed."

"Whoa there. I usually go to dinner with a girl before we go to bed together!"

"Fine then. You can sleep on the bed, I'll sleep on the floor," joked Ashley.

"Uh, hell no! What kind of person do you think I am? Spencer Marie Carlin does not make a beautiful lady sleep on the floor!" She exclaimed proudly causing the other girl to roll her eyes yet again as she playfully shoved the blue-eyed girl towards the stairs. Once they reached Ashley's bedroom, the two climbed into the bed neither of them wanting to fall asleep just yet.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" The blonde shifted uncomfortably.

"Um, it's nothing I can't handle. I'm always ok in the end," she muttered so softly, the brunette almost didn't hear her.

"Look, I know we've only known each other for a few days, but I feel connected to you for some strange reason and if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Ash," Spencer replied sleepily as she scooted closer to the curly-haired girl and threw an arm over the other girl's torso. Ashley sighed at the contact and smiled as she wrapped her arms around the blonde-haired beauty. Once again, had the two been paying attention, they would have heard the snickering coming from the other Davies twin as she snapped a quick photo of the two snuggling up to each other.

The following morning, Spencer woke up and tried to flip over so she could see where she was. It was then that she noticed a pair of arms wrapped securely around her. Suddenly, the events of yesterday rushed back into the blonde's mind.

"Shit," she whispered to herself. This girl was getting to her and Spencer didn't know how she felt about that. Was she ready to let someone else in? She gently removed herself from the other girl's embrace and wrote a quick note to the brunette before she slipped out of the house. As soon as she got home, she whipped out her phone to text Madison.

"_Hey, Mads. Can you come over ASAP?"_

"_Well, hey there, stranger. Of course I can!"_

"_Ok, thank you so much."_

"_No problem, babe!"_

Spencer put her phone on the kitchen counter and retrieved all the necessary ingredients to make chocolate chip pancakes. As she was finishing up the first batch, she heard the door open.

"Honey, I'm home," her best friend's voice rang out.

"In the kitchen, Mads!"

"Aww, you made me pancakes! How sweet!"

"You know how I do," laughed the blonde as she embraced the Latina.

"How are you doing, Spence? I've never seen you in that bad of shape," Madison spoke sadly.

"I'm alright, I guess. Still pretty sore, but I'll heal. That's not why I needed you to come over though…" Spencer replied slowly as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Let me guess. You're confused about a certain curly-haired brunette by the name of Ashley Davies."

"Wh-wh-what?" Spencer spluttered out. "How the hell did you know?" She groaned.

"A little bird told me and sent me the most adorable picture I've ever seen of you," teased the other girl as she helped herself to some pancakes.

"Kyla," growled the blonde. "Bloody hell, I should've known!"

"Did you seriously just say bloody hell? You've been watching _Harry Potter _way too much."

"That's beside the point! Let me see that picture. Now!"

"Ok, ok! Sheesh, calm down, Spence." Madison pulled out her phone and showed the picture Kyla had taken the night before after Spencer and Ashley had fallen asleep in the other girl's bed. As Spencer looked at the picture, she couldn't help but grin goofily. "Oh my god, is my wittle Spencey in love?"

"What? No! I barely know her, Mads. I just—" She paused. "She's different than the other girls. I actually want to get to know her and she makes me feel something that not even Jen made me feel. But I can't be more than her friend. I just can't." Madison put her hand on Spencer's arm, hoping to console her clearly distressed friend.

"Spence, yes, you can. I've seen the way you are around her and I saw how upset Ashley was when you were in the hospital. There's definitely something there. I don't know what it is. Hell, it could be love at first sight for all we know. But, babe, you'll never know unless you try."

"I know, I know. But, Mads…I'm terrified."

* * *

Ashley awoke to find Spencer gone. She frowned until she saw the note on the pillow next to her.

"_Hey Ash, I'm sorry I left before you woke up, but you just looked way too __beautiful__ to be disturbed. Thanks so much for yesterday. I probably would've been a mess if you hadn't hung out with me all day. Anyway, I hope have a wonderful day at school. Hopefully I'll see you later today? Until then, Spence._"

Ashley couldn't help but smile at the note and the fact that Spencer thought she was beautiful. As she remained in bed, she started counting down the hours until she saw the blonde again. Before she knew what was happening, someone ran into her room and jumped onto her bed.

"Ugh, Kyla, what the hell do you want?" Her twin smiled wickedly at her before she started singing.

"Ashley and Spencer sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage!"

"Real mature, Ky, but what on earth are you talking about?" Kyla then revealed the picture she had taken of her sister and the blonde after they had gone to bed.

"Someone looks mighty cozy there, sis," joked the other girl.

"Shut up," mumbled Ashley. "Let me see that!" She lunged at her sister and grabbed the picture out of her hands. As she gazed closely at the picture, she couldn't contain her smile. The picture was rather cute. "Um, can I keep this?" She asked shyly causing the other girl to start laughing hysterically.

"Someone's in love!" Sang Kyla. Ashley retaliated by hitting her in the head with a pillow.

"Hey! I'm happy for you, Ash," she told her sister sincerely.

"Ky, nothing's going on between us."

"Yet. Ash, I've seen how you two are around each other. I've never seen anything like it. It's really remarkable. But be careful though. I really don't want to see either one of you getting hurt."

"I know, Ky. I've never felt like this before and it really scares me. I just want to be there for her and help her no matter what. There's just something about her that never ceases to take my breath away and I always want to be with her." She sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"You'll figure it out, Ash. You're a lot smarter than most people think," teased her sister as she pulled her into a hug.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Alrighty, well, first off, I'd like to apologize to y'all for not updating earlier. I've been kinda down lately. Secondly, I apologize for the brevity of this chapter. Like I said, I've been in a bit of a funk and writing has been rather difficult as of late, ha. I'll definitely be able to update again by Monday or Thursday at the latest, promise! Thanks again for being patient with me and I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

**~Chapter 10~ **

_**Previously: **__"I know, Ky. I've never felt like this before and it really scares me. I just want to be there for her and help her no matter what. There's just something about her that never ceases to take my breath away and I always want to be with her." She sighed. "I don't know what to do."_

"_You'll figure it out, Ash. You're a lot smarter than most people think," teased her sister as she pulled her into a hug._

As the day progressed, Ashley barely made it through school. Her thoughts too focused on a certain blue-eyed girl who was slowly capturing her heart. And, of course, her friends and sister noticed this.

"Ooh, you've got it bad for our girl," teased Aiden as he threw an arm around the curly-haired girl.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied far too quickly.

"Kyla sent me a picture of you and Spence cuddling up together in bed!"

"I'm going to kill her," growled Ashley.

"So…what did you and Spence do before Kyla took that picture?" Aiden asked with a smirk, his eyes glazing over slightly.

"Oh, you know," murmured Ashley, her voice low as her counterpart urged her to continue. "We started on the couch and…"

"Yeah? Yeah?" The boy replied enthusiastically.

"And we…watched movies!"

"You suck," grumbled Aiden, only causing Ashley to erupt in laughter.

"What's so funny?" Kyla inquired as she and Madison joined them.

"Oh, nothing," replied Ashley cheerfully as Aiden continued to pout.

* * *

Spencer walked around her house frantically wondering what on earth she could do to pass the time until Ashley got there. She finally settled down in the living room and turned on the TV as she set up the Scrabble board. An hour or so later, she felt her phone buzz.

"_Hey, I'm cutting gym. Yellow and green really aren't my colors. Can I come over now? :)"_

"_Haha, sure! Just come on in, the door's open."_

"_Ok, see you in a bit!" _

Spencer couldn't help but smile, eager to see the brunette.

* * *

Ashley arrived at Spencer's house in no time. She waltzed up to the front door and opened it. The sound of Spencer singing greeted her and she smiled at the beautiful sound until she realized what the blonde was singing.

"And if you threw a party, invited everyone you knew. You would see, the biggest gift would be from me and the card attached would say, 'Thank you for being a friend,'" the blue-eyed girl belted out, unaware of a smirking brunette leaning up against the living room wall.

"Well, well, well, Spence, I'm impressed." The other girl whipped around and looked at the girl with wide eyes, a light hue of pink gracing her cheeks.

"Uh…it's not what it looks like?"

"Really, Spence?" laughed Ashley. "To me, it looks like you're sitting in here watching _The Golden Girls _and playing Scrabble by yourself." Spencer blushed even more.

"Yeah, well, Aiden and Madison hate playing Scrabble with me. And as for _The Golden Girls_, it's a very entertaining show!"

"Uh huh. Oh, by the way, Spence, you look rather adorable when you blush," she murmured into the blonde's ear before she sat down on the couch. Spencer sat there speechless. Since when did she let Ashley have the upper hand? "Oh, is this the episode when Sophia breaks her glasses and mistakes the condom machine for the phone?" The brunette spoke before she clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Ah ha! You're a fan, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged," Ashley replied with a sheepish grin. "I have all the seasons." The blonde looked at the other girl, happiness shining in her eyes. "What? Do I have something on my face?" The brunette uttered as she rubbed her face self-consciously.

"No, no, it's nothing," Spencer reassured her with a dazzling smile. "Um, want to play Scrabble?"

"Yeah, sure," the other girl replied with a nose-crinkling smile. The two set up the game and played for a while as they laughed and chatted with each other.

"So, tell me all about the mysterious Ashley Davies."

"Uh, what do you want to know?"

"Everything!"

"Oh, uh, ok. Well, my mom died almost two and a half years ago from breast cancer. After she died, I kinda headed down a bad path." She paused, unsure if she wanted to continue. Spencer intertwined their fingers, hoping to comfort the other girl. "I turned to drugs and alcohol and even started cutting a bit. Kyla and my dad did everything they could to help me, but to no avail. I refused to listen to them until one day almost eighteen months after my mom passed away. I, um, nearly died from drinking too much and taking a few too many pills."

"Aw, Ash," Spencer replied as she wrapped her arms around the other girl. "You don't have to go on if you don't want to."

"No, it's ok. I'm almost finished. Um, well after that night, I finally got the help I needed and have been clean ever since."

"Ash, I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad…right?"

"Spence, how many lesbians do you know have willingly taken off their shirt at a frat?"

"Oh, wow, that is bad," the blonde struggled to say with a straight face.

"Go ahead and laugh," Ashley told her with a genuine smile. "Kyla and I do all the time."

"You guys seem really close," Spencer spoke thoughtfully.

"We are. She's my rock. I don't know what I'd do without her," the brunette muttered truthfully. "So, want me to get you a snack?"

"Yes! Can you pretty, pretty please make me a ham and cheese omelet?"

"No problem, Spence. Be back in a few."

"Thanks, love," Spencer responded before she could stop herself as her eyes opened wide. "Uh, I, uh, um. I love Betty White!" Ashley beamed at the unintentional term of endearment as she sauntered off to the kitchen, a slight spring in her step. As soon as she was gone, Spencer smacked her hand against her forehead.

"Shit, shit, shit," she mumbled to herself. "What am I doing?" She put her head in her hands as she continued babbling to herself.

* * *

Ashley entered the kitchen with a huge smile planted firmly on her face. Maybe, just maybe Spencer felt the same way about her as she did about the blonde. She grabbed a couple eggs and made her way over to the stove. Just as she was beating the eggs, she heard a scream come from the living room. She sprinted into the room and saw Spencer staring at the television with her jaw dropped.

"Spence, are you ok? What happened?" She inquired rapidly, trying not to panic.

"Susan Sarandon is in a Got Milk? commercial!" The blue-eyed girl cried out excitedly. Ashley gave her a blank look before she hit the blonde over the head with the whisk.

"Ow! Hey, I'm still injured here!"

"Sorry, Spence, but you deserved that one."

"Meanie."

"Fine, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Kiss it and make it better," challenged the blonde, her eyes sparkling mischievously. Ashley froze for a moment before she bent over and placed a tender kiss on the other girl's forehead. As soon as her lips touched Spencer's skin, a spark erupted between them. The brunette took a step back and their eyes met. The blonde stood up, her piercing blue eyes eyes never leaving Ashley's deep brown ones. Her eyes eventually flickered down to her companion's lips as the two took a step toward each other. Their faces inched closer and closer to each other, their breaths mingled, their eyes shut gently. Just as their lips were about to touch, Spencer's eyes shot open and she leapt three feet backwards, refusing to look at the other girl.

"Um, I'm going to go get some air. Make yourself at home," the blonde stammered, as she rushed out of the house. Once she was gone, Ashley collapsed to the floor, tears threatening to fall from her chocolate brown eyes.

* * *

**A/N, part II: *comes out from hiding under a rock* Please don't hate me for ending it like this! Or rather should I say please don't hate Spencer for running off like that? Either way, you'll be happy with this story, I guarantee it :) **

**Don't forget to look for my update over the next few days!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey, y'all, sorry for being a day late (better late than pregnant though, right? :P). Anyway, I finished this chapter earlier today, but tonight called for me to be a good big sister. I feel like I'm starting to be on a roll with this story again, so I should have another chapter up soon! **

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. Oh, I almost forgot! Do you guys like how this story is progressing or would you like there to be a huge twist? I don't really know how the idea came to me, but I thought about it and I could make it work. I want your opinion though, so please let me know! Thank you in advance! :)**

* * *

**~Chapter 11~**

_**Previously: **__Their faces inched closer and closer to each other, their breaths mingling, their eyes shutting gently. Just as their lips were about to touch, Spencer's eyes shot open and she leapt three feet backwards. _

"_Um, I'm going to go get some air. Make yourself at home," the blonde stammered as she rushed out of the house. Once she was gone, Ashley collapsed to the floor, tears threatening to fall._

As soon as Spencer bolted out the door, she headed straight to the park. She plopped down under her tree and put her head in her hands. A single tear ran down her face, but before more could fall, her phone rang.

"What the fuck did you do, Spence?" Aiden's voice bellowed out as she winced. "I was hanging out with Kyla at her house when Ashley burst through the door crying!" As soon as Spencer heard this, guilt swept over her.

"Aid…" She managed to choke out as tears began streaming down her face. Aiden sighed sadly at the sound of her crying, knowing that this situation between Ashley and his best friend was growing serious.

"Where are you, Spence?"

"The park," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly.

"Ok, I'll be there in a few." After he hung up, the blonde brought her knees up to her body as sobs wracked through her body. Before she knew what was happening, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her.

"Oh, Spence," the boy murmured. "Please tell me what's going on."

"I think I'm falling in love," she spoke quietly.

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Aid, I've never felt like this with anyone. Not even Jen."

"Whoa, that's huge, Spence."

"I'm scared."

"I know you are. But you've got to trust your instincts. You've dealt with so much and I know you put up those walls after you and Jen broke up, but maybe you could try opening your heart once again."

"I don't want to hurt Ashley though…"

"Wait, what?" Replied Aiden in shock. "I thought you didn't want to try being with her because you didn't want to get hurt again." Spencer sighed and ran her hands through her long blonde hair.

"That's part of it. I mean, my mind is telling me to fuck her and throw her aside like I've done with so many others. My heart, on the other hand, is telling me to cherish her and give her a chance to be more than just a onetime thing."

"I haven't heard you talk like this in a long time, Spence. Any idea what you're going to do?"

"No, well, yes. I'd like to give us a try, but…"

"The girl really cares about you, you know," Aiden interrupted with a small smile.

"I don't know why," mumbled Spencer, burying her face into the crook of her friend's neck. "I treated her horribly today." Aiden looked at her, urging her to continue. "I was being a flirt as always and challenged her to kiss my forehead after she hit it with a cooking utensil…"

"Sounds kinky," spoke the boy as he wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Shut up, Aid," the blonde groaned. "As I was saying, after she kissed my forehead, our eyes connected and we almost kissed, but I jumped back and ran out of my house."

"Smooth, Spence, smooth," Aiden informed her with a roll of his eyes. "Figure it out. I hate seeing you so miserable. Plus, Ashley seems like a really nice girl and she sure as hell doesn't deserve you playing with her emotions."

"I know, I know. I just have to think of the perfect way to fix it," she spoke sounding similar to a mad scientist.

"You do that, Dr. Brown," chuckled the dark-haired boy.

"I knew there was a reason why we were friends," smiled the blue-eyed girl at his _Back to the Future_ reference.

"And here I thought it was because of our dashing good looks," he teased. "I should get going though. I told Madison that I'd give her a ride home after cheerleading practice."

"Ok, tell her I said hey." He nodded and stood up, pulling the blonde with him. He hugged her and kissed her cheek before heading over to his motorcycle. "Bye, Aid!"

"See ya, baby girl!" He called out over his shoulder, giving the girl his signature smile.

Spencer shook her head, laughing to herself, and began walking back to her house. Once she made it back, she decided to cook some pasta to clear her head. As she was sitting down to eat, she heard a knock on the door. Confused, she headed to the door warily.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, babe."

"Oh, hey, Mads. Not that I don't love seeing you, but what are you doing here?"

"A little bird told me to spend the night with you so you wouldn't be alone."

"Ashley," the blonde sighed, feeling guilty once more. After all she was putting this girl through, she still cared enough about Spencer to make sure she wasn't alone at night.

"Yep. So, what are we eating?"

"Spaghetti. I made my dad's famous sauce," she replied happily, her eyes lighting up as she spoke about her father.

* * *

About a week had passed since Ashley and Spencer's almost kiss and the two of them had rarely spoken, except for the occasional "hey" when they saw each other at school. It was now Friday night and Ashley was sitting alone in her room working on a new song. Suddenly, she heard music start playing. She stopped what she was doing and strained her ears to figure out from where it was coming.

"What the hell? Is it coming from outside?" She thought to herself as she made her way to the window. Once she reached her destination, her jaw dropped. Outside, just below her window, was Spencer standing by a car and holding an eighties boom box up over her head. Ashley opened her window and smiled when she realized what song was playing.

"_Love, I get so lost, sometimes.__  
__Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart.__  
__When I want to run away,__  
__I drive off in my car,__  
__but whichever way I go,__  
__I come back to the place you are._

_"All my instincts, they return.  
__And the grand façade, so soon will burn.  
__Without a noise, without my pride,  
__I reach out from the inside._

_"In your eyes,  
__the light, the heat.  
__In your eyes,  
__I am complete.  
__In your eyes,  
__I see the doorway to a thousand churches.  
__In your eyes,  
__the resolution of all the fruitless searches.  
__In your eyes,  
__I see the light and the heat.  
__In your eyes,  
__oh, I want to be that complete.  
__I want to touch the light,  
__the heat I see in your eyes._

_"Love, I don't like to see so much pain,  
__so much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away.  
__I get so tired of working so hard for our survival.  
__I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive."_

Spencer clicked off the radio and looked shyly up to the brunette, who shook her head with a smile and motioned for the other girl to come on up. The blonde beamed and jogged up to the door. When Ashley saw her disappear through it, she shut her window and braced herself for whatever the blue-eyed girl was going to say. A knock on her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come on in, Spence!" The blonde poked her head in and grinned at the brown-eyed girl before she waltzed over to the other girl and pulled her into a hug.

"Forgive me for being stupid?"

"I think I kind of have to. I mean you did just reenact a scene from _Say Anything…_," the brunette laughed as Spencer pumped her fist in the air triumphantly.

"I really am sorry though," she spoke seriously, hanging her head in shame.

"Hey," Ashley replied softly, putting her fingers under the girl's chin and raising it until their eyes met. "It's ok, I understand."

"I'm just so terrified."

"Why?" The curly-haired girl spoke gently.

"Because everyone always leaves," the other girl responded so quietly Ashley almost didn't hear her.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise," she reassured the blonde as she pulled her into another embrace.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I am incredibly sorry that it's taken me so long to update! My work schedule has been uber crazy lately. Once again, thank you for all of your feedback! :)**

**A special thanks goes to razmataz13drums-I totally agree with everything you said, so no worries, haha. Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Was it kinda what you had in mind?**

* * *

**~Chapter 12~**

_**Previously: **__"I'm just so terrified."_

_"Why?" The curly-haired girl spoke gently._

_"Because everyone always leaves," the other girl responded so quietly Ashley almost didn't hear her._

_"I'm not going anywhere, I promise," she reassured the blonde as she pulled her into another embrace._

Ashley pulled back from the blonde and studied her. To her relief, the bruising was finally starting to disappear.

"How are you doing?" She finally spoke.

"I'm alright, I guess. My ribs still hurt quite a bit, but other than that I'm not too sore," the other girl responded nonchalantly. "And how are you?"

"Oh, same ol', same ol'," the brunette replied with a shrug. "I missed you, you know."

"I missed you too," she replied honestly. "I'm sorry for being such a coward, but you really do scare the hell outta me."

"Me? Are you serious?" Laughed Ashley. "Kyla's the one you should be scared of!" Spencer grinned and took a step back from the curly-haired girl.

"I don't have a lot of time. I promised Madison and Aiden that we'd hang out since we haven't done it in a while," she informed the other girl guiltily.

"It's cool," the brunette replied with a smile. "I've got to finish writing my song anyway." The other girl nodded her head and threw a grin in her direction before retreating down the stairs.

* * *

Spencer rushed back to her house and smiled when she saw her best friends glaring playfully at her as she pulled into the driveway.

"About time, woman! I was about to call your ass and start yelling."

"Really, Mads? What good would calling Spence's ass do?" Aiden questioned with a smirk, earning a smack upside the head from the Latina. Spencer stared at her friends before running up to her porch and throwing her arms around them.

"God, I've missed you guys."

"We know," they replied simultaneously as they hugged her back.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," Aiden told his two favorite girls as he pulled them across the street to his car. They rode in silence for several minutes until they reached their destination.

"I don't know if I can do this…" the blue-eyed girl spoke uncertainly.

"You know it needs to be done, babe," Madison assured her soothingly. "You haven't been to the cemetery since the funeral." A guilt-ridden expression crossed the blonde's face as she hopped out of the car.

"You'll both come with me, right?" She asked quietly.

"Of course," the dark-haired boy informed her as he and Madison grabbed her hands. They walked past ten rows of gravestones before stopping at three white granite headstones. As soon as Spencer saw them, she tried to flee, but her companions held her firmly in place.

"If it'll make you feel better, Spence, I'll go first." The Latina paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Hey Mr. C and Clay, I miss you guys like crazy. Things just haven't been the same without your advice and your cooking, Mr. C, although Spence does manage to do your recipes some justice. Clay, I never thought I would say this, but I even miss all of your nerdy rants about physics. I know you guys are watching out for us up there." She paused again and braced herself for her final words. "Hey, Glen. God, I miss you so much, baby. I know we were young, but we were so in love. We were gonna get married and have kids, who would've hopefully inherited your sense of humor and my…everything else." The trio let out a small chuckle at the truth of that statement as tears filled their eyes. "I know you'll want me to move on and I will someday, but just know that no one is ever going to fill that place in my heart that is reserved for you and only you. I'll love you forever and always." Madison finished softly and kissed her fingertips before placing them on Glen's headstone. Aiden and Spencer pulled her into their arms for several moments. Finally, their male companion cleared his throat and turned to face the three graves.

"Hey, guys, you know I'm really not that great at putting my feelings into words, but I'll try my best. Mr. C, I really miss talking to you. You were more of a dad to me than my own father was and I'll never forget how you helped shape me as a human being. Clay, you never judged me for all of the stupid crap I did and you always helped me whenever it got to be too much to handle. And finally, Glen, I miss my partner in crime! You know you both were like the brothers I never had and I promise all three of you that I will protect Spencer for the rest of my life. I love you guys." As Aiden finished speaking, Spencer knew it was her time to talk to her family. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Instead, a soft sob was released from the back of her throat as she collapsed in front of their graves. Aiden and Madison glanced at each other sadly before joining their friend on the ground.

"Oh, Spence," Madison murmured as she wrapped her arms around the other girl.

"It's ok, baby girl. We'll stay here with you as long as you need. You don't have to say anything today. You accomplished so much just by coming out here and all of us are so proud of you for that."

"It was all my fault," she finally cried out. "I should have never gotten up on that stupid stage. If I had just stayed home or gone somewhere else, they'd still be alive! You know that's why I don't tell anyone about the abuse. I feel like I deserve it for fucking killing them!"

"Spencer Marie Carlin, you know that's not true at all. And you know your dad, Glen, and Clay would not want you to keep blaming yourself for their deaths. It was a freak accident. You know that, they know that, we all know that. They would not want you to stay in such a horrible environment, especially because you feel like you deserve it."

"So what? This is my punishment for being selfish. If I had performed five minutes earlier, they would've missed that drunk driver. If I had played at a different bar, they never would've had to go through that intersection. If I had—"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Spence. You can't keep torturing yourself with the 'what ifs'. It's not healthy. We know you put up that front of being cool and confident all the time, but we know that isn't the real you. You've had to deal with so much in the past year or so. It's ok to be vulnerable every now and then. Mads and I aren't going to think you're weak. You do know that, right?" The blonde nodded her head dejectedly and her friends sat patiently as she cried out all her pain.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," Spencer finally managed to utter.

"Take a step forward, honey. Move in with me. I don't want to hear any of your usual excuses. Just please, please, please seriously consider it this time. My parents love you almost as much as I do and they want what's best for you."

"Mads…"

"Look, just think about it, ok? I know that bitch and her husband are going to be gone for another month or so, but in that time I want you to figure out what's really holding you back from getting the hell away from there."

"Fine," she relented.

"There's something else…" The Latina began slowly.

"We want you to start seeing a therapist," Aiden finished in a caring, yet stern tone. Spencer eyes bugged out of her head.

"No way, no way, no way," she began to repeat over and over again.

"Please? Aid and I have been looking into it for months now and we found someone we think you'd like. She reminded us a lot of your dad actually…" At this, the blonde froze and fell silent.

"I-I-I'll…think about it, ok?" She eventually muttered much to the relief of her closest friends.

"Good for you, baby girl. We're proud of you." Her friends each kissed her on the forehead before standing up and pulling her with them.

"Now, how about we go to our spot on the beach? I brought stuff for s'mores and a guitar so we can sing Kumbaya!" This lighthearted comment from Madison seemed to snap the other two out of somber dispositions as they cracked a smile at the unnatural giddiness their friend was exhibiting.

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**A/N, part II: This might be my last update for a while because I leave for Italy in a week to chaperone a trip for my brother's school. I'll try to post one more chapter before I leave, but I can't guarantee anything! Who knows maybe several reviews will make me crank out another chapter within the next couple of days ;) **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello, my lovelies! I am incredibly sorry for my four month hiatus. Thank you so much for all of your reviews on the last chapter and I'm sorry I almost made several of you cry! But seriously, your feedback is incredible and I thrive off of it. Ok, well, if you want to read my list of excuses as to why I haven't updated until now, go ahead and read list 1. If you want to read how my trip to Italy was, go ahead and read list 2. If you want to just read the story, ignore all of this.**

**1. My List of Excuses  
-Work kept me super busy.  
-I was scared to write another chapter because I was worried it wouldn't live up to the previous one.  
-I got obsessed with Glee, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Hunger Games.  
-I got a tumblr and it quickly become yet another obsession. (If you're bored and have nothing better to do, feel free to check it out. My URL is: i-will-get-you-my-pretty).  
-I'm back in school.  
-The shit would not stop hitting the fan.  
-I'm trying to become a better cook.**

**2. Italy  
-It was amazing!  
-The food was delicious. (Gelato is heavenly.)  
****-I got to go to EuroPride for a bit!  
-It was simply beautiful.  
-I want to go back to Europe more than anything.**

**Ok, well, that wasn't too bad was it? Here's Chapter 13! I hope it lives up to your expectations! Enjoy :)**

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**~Chapter 13~**

_**Previously: **__"Now, how about we go to our spot on the beach? I brought stuff for s'mores and a guitar so we can sing Kumbaya!" This lighthearted comment from Madison seemed to snap the other two out of their somber dispositions as they cracked a smile at the unnatural giddiness their friend was exhibiting._

"Can we pleeeeease leave?" Spencer begged her closest friends as they dragged her inside the therapist's office.

"No, Spence. You promised us last week that you'd give this lady a try," Aiden informed her sternly.

"I hate you both," she grumbled and entered the office.

"Love you too, sweet cheeks," Madison replied with a wink before walking up to the receptionist's desk.

"You _can_ do this, baby girl. You're a lot stronger than you think."

"I dunno, Aid..." The blue-eyed girl murmured with a sigh as the Latina settled down on her other side.

"Just relax, Spence. You'll be in and out of here in no time and Aiden and I will be right out here when you're finished, ok?" The blonde nodded and opened her mouth to reply before a voice rang out, calling her name. She stood up and her friends gave her hands a reassuring squeeze as she walked over to the therapist.

"Hello, Spencer Carlin, I'm Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, but you can call me JJ," the auburn-haired woman smiled as she led Spencer back to her office. "Please have a seat." The musician sat down warily, refusing to meet the older woman's eyes. "Your friends really care about you, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I really don't deserve them."

"What makes you think that?" She asked slowly. Spencer remained silent. "You like movies, right?" Dr. Jenkins inquired warmly, opting for a different approach. The blonde nodded with a small smile.

"My dad got me hooked on them ever since I was little," she muttered fondly. "The first movie that I can remember him showing me was _Bringing Up Baby_. Even though I didn't really understand it the first time I saw it, I fell in love with it. We'd try to watch a different movie every Friday night no matter what. The last movie I watched with him was _Victor/Victoria_," she informed the other woman quietly.

"You miss him a lot, don't you?"

"More and more each and every day. He and my brothers were…" The blue-eyed girl trailed off, afraid to continue talking.

"Go on. I know it hurts, but talking about them helps keep their memory alive as well as help you to move on." Spencer finally looked up and met the vibrant green eyes of the woman in front of her. She felt herself relax slightly when she saw that Dr. Jenkins eyes were filled with nothing but compassion.

"He and my brothers were the greatest people I'd ever known. They encouraged me to be ok with myself and protected me whenever I bit off more than I could chew. Most of all, they kept my mother at bay whenever she got too hard on me for being gay," she slipped out and winced at her unwilling confession.

"It's cool with me, Spencer. My brother's gay," she informed the panicked girl with a smile. "So your mother doesn't like the fact that you're a lesbian?"

"That's putting it lightly," the blue-eyed girl scoffed. "She fucking hates me for it." She winced again. "Oops, sorry, I have quite the, er, potty mouth. I'm making a rather great first impression, aren't I?"

"Once again, it's fine. There's no need for formality. I believe it's vastly overrated. Besides, it's easier for people to open up if they don't feel the pressure to be someone they aren't."

"You're pretty cool, Dr. JJ."

"I try to keep it real," she drawled out playfully before turning serious. "Now, Spencer, I know you don't want to talk about it, but your friends made it very clear that your situation at home was not to be ignored." The blonde frowned and began to shut down all over again. "No, seriously, they threatened to defenestrate me if I didn't get you to open up even a little bit about it."

"They really threatened to throw you out of a window?" The musician questioned with a small smirk.

"Hell yes they did! I mean, they are your best friends, would you really put it past them?"

"No, I wouldn't," she sighed before continuing. "My mom and stepfather abuse me in pretty much all forms possible…"

"And I'm sure you think it's your fault, right?" Spencer nodded, slightly shocked. "I was in an abusive relationship when I was your age, so I understand your whole thought process. People can sit here and tell you that it's not your fault over and over again, but you won't believe it until you firmly believe that it really isn't your fault whatsoever."

"I just feel like if Glen hadn't ever gotten me into music, I would've never started performing and they'd still be here. If I wasn't gay, my mom wouldn't hate me as much as she does. I guess I sit there and take it because I'm just so _tired_. I don't even know how to fight back anymore."

"Ok, first off, your mother does _not_ hate you, Spencer. She just doesn't know how to fully accept who you are. I'm not saying she's a saint because she's not, but you can't go around thinking that she abhors your existence. Second, you can fight back in the smallest ways. You can report them, or if you don't want to take that step yet, you can move out of that poisonous environment and into your friend Madison's house," Dr. Jenkins informed her gently. "You think the accident was your fault, but it wasn't. You don't need to keep punishing yourself for what happened. You can't change the past, hon. If you want to be able to move on with your life, you have to start being able to believe that or else you won't ever be happy."

"I know you're right, I just don't know how," Spencer whispered wearily as a tear slid down her cheek.

"Meet with me regularly, for starters. You need an adult in your life whom you can trust. I'd be more than happy to be that person if you'll let me."

"I guess I could do that. You do remind me a lot of my dad actually. Besides, I'm really not in a good place either. I'm kind of a whore," she stated bluntly with a frown. "I do want to be better, you know. I mean, I may not show it, but—"

"I understand. Is there someone in your life who's making you want to change?"

"Um, yeah," she blushed. "Her name is Ashley and she's absolutely incredible. I've only known her for a few weeks, but she's already getting to me, in a good way, of course. At the same time though, I sort of resent her because she still has her sister. That makes me a horrible person, doesn't it?" She choked out as Dr. Jenkins moved to sit by her.

"No, not at all. But that's really not healthy, you know? I mean, if you want some sort of intimate relationship with her or anyone else in the future, you're going to have to accept that: yes, they might have siblings and yes, they might be very close. You lost both of your biological brothers and that was a horrible experience, but they wouldn't want you hindering your future relationships because of them, ok?" The auburn-haired woman soothed, putting an arm around the distraught young woman. "Also, from what I can tell, Madison and Aiden are as good as being siblings to you and you need to let them in more. They've stuck by you through all this; you don't have to worry about them bailing on you."

"They put you up to saying that last part, didn't they?"

"Perhaps, but I know it's true. There are people out there who really care about you, Spencer Carlin, so why should you push them away and continue to remain with people who clearly don't give a rat's ass about you?"


End file.
